1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cart for moving small watercraft, such as canoes or kayaks. More particularly, the present invention relates to a cart which supports one or two watercraft in a stacked configuration. The cart is constructed to be strong and durable, and provide an easy and simple way to load and move small watercraft.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Devices for transporting watercraft over land have been around for years. For large watercraft, these devices are large and elaborate devices requiring considerable complexity to lift the watercraft onto the carrier.
On the other hand, the devices for transporting small watercraft over land need not be as complex. Numerous such devices, for moving boats, sailboards, and canoes are well known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,214,774 (Kluge) discloses a disassemblable boat carrier and launcher. The carrier supports a boat so that it can be pulled by hand and launched in the water. The carrier may be disassembled for storage.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,712,803, 5,207,441, and 5,348,327 (Garcia, Granbery and Gieske, respectively) teach various sailboard carriers. All of these carriers have elaborate securing means, parts holders, and/or complex collapsible structures.
Other devices have been designed for canoe transportation, such as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,579,357 (Webster), U.S. Pat. No. 4,824,127 (Stamm), U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,595 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,580 (Cunningham), U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,680 (Freitus et al.), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,371 (Levad). The foregoing canoe carriers all utilize a rigid structure for supporting the canoe and some means, such as straps, to secure the canoe. The supporting structure is made from many different materials such as metal, wood and plastic, each of which has different strength and durability characteristics.
Other boat transporting means are taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,422,665 (Hinnant), U.S. Pat. No. 3,445,018 (Reagan), U.S. Pat. No. 3,093,386 (Case), U.S. Pat. No. 4,822,065 (Enders), U.S. Pat. No. 2,540,279 (Mosier), U.S. Pat. No. 2,970,846 (Boston), U.S. Pat. No. 4,286,800 (Lomas) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,379,452 (Torrisi). The carriers disclosed in the foregoing patents are either designed to be pulled behind cars or for supporting substantial boats. As a result, these carriers are made from a considerable number of parts, have elaborate structures, and require that the boat be lifted into place on the carrier.
The foregoing carriers all have drawbacks. The carriers are complex, requiring many parts and significant labor to assemble and/or employ. The carriers require the boat be lifted into place, which is a cumbersome task, and often requires more than one person. Some of the carriers are not themselves transportable in an automobile, for moving the watercraft from the automobile to the water. Most of the carriers employ securing straps, which in turn complicates the process of moving the watercraft, and adds more parts which may break. The more complex the device, the more likely it will break. Finally, the durability of the carriers are directly related to the materials used.
From the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a watercraft cart which has a simple construction, and requires a minimum number of parts.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a watercraft cart which does not require the watercraft be lifted onto the cart.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a watercraft cart which is durable and is made predominantly from metal.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a watercraft cart which holds the watercraft in place due to the weight of the watercraft, and does not require straps or other securing devices.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a watercraft cart which can support more than one watercraft.